2011 Youth Summit

Youth Leaders Convene at Youth Summit

On September 21, 144 high school and college students from the Quad Cities gathered at the Isle of Capri Convention Center as a part of the Upper Mississippi River Conference. The four hour summit, planned by River Action’s Youth Advisory Board, gave the students an opportunity to meet peers who are as committed to environmental action as they are and to learn about how people elsewhere on the river are responding to environmental challenges.

The summit brought in speakers on a variety of issues affecting the Mississippi and our environment: invasive species, creating urban habitats, threatened wildlife, human impacts on the river, best practices by corporations, and things individuals can do to improve water quality. The keynote speaker was Brian Soenen, Iowa’ DNR, Director of Project AWARE—a volunteer program focused on cleaning up watersheds from the seat of a canoe.

Because the programming was designed to inspire young people to take action, one of the features was a plenary session with college student, Ryan Wolber, Illinois State University, who is involved in a sustainability program there. He has started several successful programs and challenged attendees to start their own initiatives and encourage other students to live deliberately and live green.

To further inspire, organizers encouraged participants to post on River Action’s web site small steps they take to help the environment. They can exchange ideas about their newest initiatives and solutions. As well, students were encouraged to come back in one year to report progress and share their environmental action stories at the Second Annual Youth Summit in 2012.

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At the September Youth Summit, students were challenged to initiate projects on campus. Report your progress here: